When you read part 1 of this series, I hope you understand I was NOT at all saying Pcs-ing/relocating/moving isn’t stressful, because honestly even though I’ve moved at least 20+ times in my lifetime and NO I am not exaggerating sadly! It is a stressful time, but there are some things I’ve found if I do ahead of time, do make it less stressful. Whether it be personal move, relocation, partial ditty, or PCS, it can be a crazy and stressful time, when it’s across the country or out of country then it’s even more stressful.

If you relocate a bit for your work or you PCS, I’ve found keeping a journal with my lists of things to do, things to pack, things to get copies of before you move, what utility accounts to shut off or have moved, plus a note to remind me to put a change of address in with the postal service as well as all bank and credit accounts. Plus, in this journal I log if a utility required any type of deposit, some do, depending on area or state, even when you have good credit! So if you make note of that right when you start the account, you’ll remember to contact them to request any deposit or money they may owe you.

Now there have been several people say to me, oh moving for you all (military families) is easy they do everything for you. Well…. It’s not true and honestly, it can be even more stressful than a personal move and I’ve done both, so I do know. Sure, they usually move you, however, we’ve often had very short orders, like we’re talking a week!! Well, sometimes, crap goes wrong and I mean WRONG, lol… There have been times the moving estimator doesn’t show up, we’ve had packers not show up or show up a day or two late! We’ve had items that were poorly packed, thrown around, dropped, heck we’ve had one small item packed in a dish pack box with a freaking ton of dish pack wrap, just so they could add to the weight of the load! I’ve had packers that I kid you not, went through all my stuff, took pictures of things she liked and texted them to her friends and sadly several of those items never made it into the box and never seen again! We’ve had packers or unloaders show up hungover, just wreaking from booze and spends the entire time in your bathroom sick! We’ve had people say, well you can always file a complaint or a claim. Well, that process is so bad, it’s easier to often just let it go!

Sure if your move is all done by your job or the military, most moves will go smoothly, but you have to know something may get broken lost or even stolen.

One of the best pieces of advice I can offer is if you are able, be home the entire time your household goods are being packed up, if at all possible have a family member or two with you so you can casually check on the progress or situation.

If you have little children, you may want to have a sitter handy or have your children stay with a trusted sitter, for safety, plus let’s be honest, it’s not only going to be a long day but a fairly boring day, especially for the little ones!

If you have pets, you defiantly want to have them safely in a yard, a room that is off limits to movers, for their safety as well as the safety of the movers and packers. Remember this is a stressful time for pets as well. What we do is have the cats in a room with all the stuff we have set aside that we are taking with us and not having the movers pack. The dogs we set them up in our yard or if you can take your dog to a trusted friends or doggie day care or a trusted kennel. Believe me, we’ve had the movers let our dogs out of the yard before, so whatever you can do to keep your pets safer, you may want to do.

If you have movers moving you, even if you don’t have pets, you still most likely have items you’d rather the movers not pack, whether it be for personal reasons like sentimental value or maybe it’s something you’ll need during your move or need right away as soon as you get to your next location. The best thing I’ve found is have a closet or room with a sign clearly marked DO NOT ENTER, DO NOT PACK, etc. This has worked out really well for us. Because I’ll be honest, at least for me even when I fully trust our movers, packers etc. It still feels like a bit of a violation, after all they are rifling through all yours and your families’ belongings! So this makes it a bit easier all around.

Though it’s not required, I do find that it helps productivity of you provide things like water, sodas and sandwiches or a pizza for lunch, even if it’s on the last day, it seems to always be appreciated. Even if you simply make sandwiches yourself with a bag of chips!

Another thing I do to make our moves easier, is try and keep things in your refrigerator that you can make easy meals or snacks out of. It’s a great way to eat healthier, plus it makes it so much easier at the end of a long day to have that quick meal, instead of worrying about what to have for dinner when that long day is over. Plus, if you have items that are easily stored or can be easily packed up in an ice chest you can always take the rest with you as a part of your road food!

Well, thank you for stopping in to check out part 2 of this on moving and PCS-ing.

Remember my review of Bolder Band a few weeks ago? Well they are having an awesome sale on http://www.bbolder.com/ 30% off from Bands to Tees and things in between!!! I love these bands I'll be shopping this sale!

We enjoy Salmon, sometimes grilled, sautéed with olive oil, wine, garlic or orange maple glaze and tonight was Sockeye with a Ginger Teriyaki glaze.
1 lb. Salmon filet, steaks or your choice
¼ cup of wine of choice (optional)
3 tablespoons of Ginger jam or also great with Orange Marmalade, Mango Jam, even a Chutney works well, be creative!
I/4 tsp of Minced Garlic
¼ cup of Coconut Aminos, even your favorite Teriyaki
¼ cup of Orange Mango, Orange Pineapple, Mango or Orange Juice
1-2 tablespoon of Honey, Agave or Brown Sugar (optional) but it does help it become more of a glaze, but you could also add a bit of Corn Starch

I baked 350 for 35 mins, but can also be grilled or sautéed to desired doneness.
The result is a slightly sweet, yet savory glazed salmon.

We're not vegan or even vegetarian, though I myself do try to eat more on the vegetarian side. I'll be honest it can be tough, hubby's Italian and I'm Italian and Hawaiian, so as you can imagine it can be really tough to get the hubby to eat this way. So if I am going to make a meatless dish, I have to be sneaky about it and it had better be hardy! lol Here are a few Ideas I've recently found.

It's That Time of Year Again; Part 1 Of My Series On Tips to make Relocating and Moving Less Stressful

For those of you who follow me, you know were a military family and I am familiar with the whole PCS-ing thing. But I moved a lot even as a child, in fact I went to 7 different Grade Schools and 4 High Schools! Maybe that is why PCS-ing isn’t as stressful for me as it often can be.

I’m a list kind of person, in fact with each PCS I write in a notebook where I make to do lists, contact numbers, have important numbers, always make sure I have a copy of our orders, etc. Now whether you’re in the military and are PCS-ing or relocating for a job or simply making a big move somewhere, there are a few things I’ve done that has made things go more smoothly, at least for us.

I can’t stress this one enough, whether your moving on your own or your company has hired movers or you’re PCS-ing. Make sure you keep important papers safe, yet easily accessible to you.
If something has sentimental value or value, insure it and or pack it and if possible transport it yourself! Otherwise be prepared for things to go missing or things might get broken. Sure that can happen if you take it or pack it yourself, but you at least have more control of its care.

We’ve often has short notice moves, were talking a week! Orders, moving estimate, packing, gone baby! Oh and by the way where are we going to live again??? Lol I find keeping lists helps keep me organized, plus if I think of a question I need to ask, I write it down.

If you moving out of town, state or country, make sure you get a copy of your family and pets medical records, some places charge, many don’t because they understand. These will come in handy in case of any emergencies during move or when you’re getting set up with your new doctors and vet.

If you can take a bit of cash or travelers checks with you or gift cards. You wouldn’t believe how often this comes in handy, like when the place doesn’t take your type or banks Debit card, or the system is down or (and yes this has happened) a place is cash only! This could mean the difference in getting fuel or even those awesome, healthy (insert sarcasm) snacks at those gas marts!

I know with today’s technology; it’s become easier to find a place to rent or even buy than it was in the past. Let me start, NO this is not a sponsored post, lol. But Zillow, Trulia, Military by owner (if your military) or for Sale or for Rent by Owner have been awesome! Now Craigslist is a crap shoot, I’ve herd lots of horror stories about scams with rentals and even for sales, so if you looking on Craigslist and you have the option, have someone you trust actually check the place out to make sure it is a legit ad and not someone bogusly renting a home that belongs to someone else or is foreclosed or already rented doesn’t even exits and Please NO PAYPAL Payments or Cashier’s checks!! YES, we’ve known people that these things have happened to! Sadly, for every legitimate ad there are probably twice as many fake ads!

If you have children, try and find out ahead of time what school or at least school district they will be in, when they start the new school year, as from what we’ve noticed states with snow, seem to start a bit earlier than ones that don’t have it. Plus, if you find out before you move you may be able to have records transferred ahead of time.

Speaking of records, it's always a great idea (at least for us it has been) if you are moving out of state or country to obtain copies of your medical records, your children's medical records and any vet records for the family pets, this can really make life easier, at least when it comes to getting established in your new area.

If you, your family or pets are on any medications, it's also a good idea to see if you can get a spare or at least refills so you can have a spare in case one is lost or a spare to get you through the time it may take to get established with your new Doctor, Dentist, Veterinarian, etc.

If your maintaining your current insurance or even if you will have a new insurance, if you have time to research your perspective Doctor, Dentist or Veterinarian, try and do it. Believe me it is always great to check out their reviews ahead of time, instead of getting stuck with a provider that may not be a good fit from the start.

Plus, another thing, you can often book an appointment to get established with your new providers for a time that works out after you've moved, which will make it easier to obtain any refills on medications, or any referrals you may need as some of these providers may be booked a few days or even weeks out, so this is a great way to have less wait time.

Well, I hope Part 1 of this series has been helpful and I hope you check back for more.

I'm a total foodie, I love to cook, come up with new meals, try new foods, but, let's be honest, we've all had one of those, “goodness what am I making for dinner tonight??” kind of nights!
Call it brain fog from your busy week or stuck in a rut, but I know a lot of us have been there, well at least I have! lol Well, here are a few tasty and some even quick meals I've found on just those kind of days!

Hope your all doing well! It's been a crazy week for us, between the new rescues, more military retirement stuff, hubby getting ready for school, birthdays (it seems we know a ton of May birthday babies!) family emergencies, life and things in between. However, in all this craziness of life I feel pretty blessed as well.

Got an exciting week ahead, I have some #productreviews coming, a couple that are sponsored and a few that are just reviews. I'll be posting about some items in my recent #VoxBox, some items in a few of my favorite #subscriptionboxes that I subscribe to, I'll be sharing some #recipes and more this week so I hope your stop by.

I like many of you I have a busy life, were a military family, I’m a pet rescue mom, writer, poet, blogger and more. I also have dry, sensitive skin, especially during Winter or right after Winter. I’m talking so sensitive that most skin care products break me out or even cause a rash. Which is tough, because I am a bit of a skin care junkie, lol.

I am always interested in new skin care products, but honestly I often dread actually tying them or spending the $$-$$$ only to find out, the product isn’t a good fit for my skin, which means a” Skincare Breakup” Being that I have sensitive skin and I am a rescue mom, products that are natural, fairly natural and cruelty free are important to me, which leads me to this review;

As a blogger I was given a chance to try a new skin care product which honestly is the 2nd product in the Valentia’s line I’ve been lucky to try.

I’m pretty happy that I had been given the opportunity to try Valentia's New Skin Detoxifying Clay Mask, because I had truly given up on masks years ago, even the ones offered in Spas. In the past whether it be a Spa treatment or an at home Mask, I have had horrid results, until I tried Valentia’s Skin Detoxifying Clay Mask. With other masks that I’ve tried, there has been stinky smells, rashes, breakouts and never the so called desired results they are meant for. But with Valentia's Skin Detoxifying Clay Mask, it has actually been a great experience from the start.

I’m very scent oriented and I loved the smell of Valentia's Skin Detoxifying Clay Mask, like another product of theirs I’ve tried it didn’t have that chemical or stinky smell that facial masks, even natural ones sometimes have, this one is a fruity, natural scent experience, but not at all over-powering.

Valentia's New Skin Detoxifying Clay Mask, not only has this pleasant slightly fruity scent, but it has this soft, creamy texture and spreads fairly easily. My experience with Valentia's New Skin Detoxifying Clay Mask was over the course of 9 days. During that 9 days I’ve used it twice and I am surprised with the results. Not only did the mask NOT irritate my dry sensitive skin, which was a bit of a shock for me, because due to seasonal allergies my nose is raw, I found that it actually it soothed the area around my nose and has made my skin smoother, as well as fresher looking. Now the Valentia's New Skin Detoxifying Clay Mask did sting just a little in that area around my nose for like 5 seconds, but then it felt great. I kid you not the redness and rawness that was there prior to applying the mask was gone once I removed the mask after 15 minutes, the result was amazing, my skin still feels great and this was not the results I expected! Now this is all my own personal experience, I’m sure results vary.

But because I have dry sensitive skin, I feel comfortable using this once or twice a week as both times left my skin silky smooth and the difference can clearly be seen in my before and after pictures.
I will continue to use Valentia's New Skin Detoxifying Clay Mask and try and post more pictures after further use.

Valentia's New Skin Detoxifying Clay Mask, is a nice size and there seems to be quite a bit of product, it’s not one of those large fancy jars with nearly nothing as far as product in it just to get you to re-purchase it, so purchasing this I wouldn’t feel cheated. Like I mentioned I’ve used it twice and I really have quite a bit of product left.
It would be great to see Valentia offer a brush or applicator of some sort, just to make application, easier.

Now if you want to try this or any of the other great products Valentia offers, Valentia has given me a coupon code good on their website http://valentia.com/ offering a 35% OFF their entire line on Valentia.com Just use code: REFRESH35

Valentia.com products are made with natural and organic ingredients, plus they're also vegan, cruelty-free and Made In The USA.

*****This is a Sponsored post, though I was provided this product for a review, my thoughts and opinions are my own. I’ve done secret shopping, product testing as well as reviews for over 15 years and I will not give anything other than an honest review and only for items I have tried

AMBER Alert: Have you seen this child? Kiera Inman: Missing From: Spokane, WA. Missing Date: 05/01/2016. The missing child is developmentally delayed and also requires medication for a medical issue. The child's grandmother advises she left on foot but her cell phone tracked her to possibly be in a vehicle. She left evidence that she left willingly; however, she functions at a diminished capacity and unable to make realistic life choices. The child is believed to be in the company of Zachary Jones, a 30 year old male from Newport News, Virginia, in a blue 1997 Acura 4 door with Virginia registration VGD6867. The extent of their relationship is unknown. If you have information regarding this case, please contact Spokane Police Department at 509-456-2233.

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About Me

I'm a "Household 6", pet foster and rescue mama, Flexitarian, social media influencer, secret shopper, blogger, pet blogger, secret beauty junkie, foodie, poet, writer, tv and movie reviewer, who loves coffee, tea, cupcakes (hey they are just the right size!) movies, music, travel and so much more!
Though we are not a Vegan family I do have a passion for Meatless Monday's, Cruelty-Free cleaning, beauty, and skin care products. I also love shopping local, supporting small business, organic as well as Fair Trade

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